Borderline Darkness
by Seliq
Summary: He was a greedy entity awaiting prey. She was the forbidden fruit; out of reach but so luring. However she had just fallen right into his lap, and how could one resist such temptation? DemonXoc
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Note: Hello everyone! I'm Seliq, and welcome to my new story~  
I've been wanting to write a fic on Paranormal Activity for ages, I've been on and off planning and writing this and have finally decided to share it. This follows my own characters stories, with my own demon- but I plan to bring in some of the people from the movies later on aswell.  
With that said, please read and enjoy...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Paranormal Activity or any of the characters, besides the obvious OCs in this fan-fiction.**

**Borderline Darkness  
CHAPTER I:**

Weeks passed, the agency owning the house frantically covering up the history of fleeing and or missing previous residents. Such a large vintage home was just too valuable in the area.

_'Greedy bastards' _the entity thought to himself.

He was a creature from the depths of hell, one of the most feared monsters in children's fairy tales, and a beast anyone would pray not to encounter for as long as they lived.  
A dark spirit, an incubus, or most commonly referred to as a Demon. Somewhat like a ghost, except he was never human.

His only purpose was to cause pain, to harm and torment. And to feed off the suffering, anger, hatred, lust, greed and pain of the living. He lurked in the shadows of homes, awaiting the weakest human to torment.

His current residence, a home he had inhabited for the past decade, was at a lack of humans at the moment.  
He thought back on the last family, they stayed for little over a month. He almost chuckled at the memory. He saw this as somewhat like a holiday. Peace and quiet, no annoying humans and a house to himself.

It was interrupted by the sound of cars pulling into the driveway.

_'So soon?' _The entity asked himself.  
How unfortunate, to be disturbed once more by a family of humans right when he was looking forward to a few weeks of quiet. Pests they were.  
Indeed more humans would mean more fear to feed off of, he supposed.  
So who would supply him with the most fear?

He watched silently from a dark corner as the humans piled in. A man, looking about in his late forties carrying in cardboard boxes as two teenagers trailed behind him.

_'Teenagers.' _He thought in a bored fashion_.'Annoying, whiny little brats with their emotions everywhere.' _Atleast this was from what he'd observed over the past few years.

A boy, looking somewhere around 14 rushed through, his sneakers squeaking irritably against the floor as he ran straight upstairs to pick a room. The creature rolled his eyes and looked back at the door where a girl was walking in.  
He was half expecting bleached hair and fake tan at his point.

But instead he was greeted by the small appearance of a 17 year old, although her fragile appearance made her look younger. Her hair was a subtle brown, falling past her shoulders and curling near the bottom.  
Her eyes looked like that that of a doe, large, innocent and filled with fear.  
He decided that this girl would be his main focus as he continued to stare at the blue-grey irises of her eyes.

She would be a fun new toy. Perhaps he could keep her for awhile, he pondered.  
He hadnt been in the presence of such purity in a long time, knowing that many young girls would throw it away too soon. She looked like a flower in the middle of a desert.  
How she stayed innocent for this long was beyond him, strict parents? Religious family?  
His suspicions were confirmed when the cross hanging from her necklace came into view. A growl rumbled from the creatures chest at the sight of it.

But deep within her, he could see, feel a flicker of darkness. Could he change her?

"Carolyn, this is one of yours," the middle aged man said as he handed her a box. "Why don't you go pick a room?"

Ah, Carolyn... So that was her title. The demon closed his eyes and mouthed the name.  
A grin spread across his features and he opened his eyes once more.  
Carolyn took the cardboard box and began climbing the stairs slowly, observing the new surroundings.

The demon followed her as she walked up the stairs towards the bedrooms. Her brother had chosen the room to the left of the stairs.  
The demon watched Carolyn curiously as she walked to the right down the hall and to the last room. There had been another room in between, why had she chosen to be so far away?

He shrugged it off as she turned the door knob and it opened with a slight creak in its hinges.  
Carolyn walked inside and set the box down against the wall as she looked about the room.  
It was a simple rectangular shape, the walls painted a pale grey with a small window pointing to a triangle.

Carolyn nodded her head thoughtfully then exited the room to bring up her boxes, not noticing the invisible presence watching over her.

.

.

.

It was sometime an hour later Carolyn was up in her room, she laid out the last pillow on her bed then began pulling out novels from a box and setting them on her bookshelf.

She heard the floor boards creak as her father entered the room and leaned on the doorframe  
"You don't need to wear that anymore you know, Carolyn." He commented as he walked into the room.

Carolyn glanced down at her necklace, the silver cross dangling from it. She then sighed and continued stacking books on her shelf.  
"She always taught me to have faith, she told me he would guide and help me in life. And it made her proud." She replied softly.

Her father raised an eyebrow at her.  
"Your mother? Didn't I teach you to be who you want to be, and live your own life? Carol, this religious stuff was your mothers way of coping with her sickness."

He watched her expectantly, but she said no more. He sighed and left the room.

Carolyn set the last book on the shelf, her fingertips lingering on the spine 'Dracula'. It was a novel her school required her to read, and despite the dark plot she ended up enjoying it.  
She blinked away her thoughts and glanced out the window, the sun had set all too soon.

She gathered her pyjamas and headed to the bathroom silently, cringing as each step against the aged wooden floor gave a loud creak.

.

.

.

The demon was well aware that Carolyn was currently bathing, and he could easily slip inside and watch her unnoticed. But he wanted to gain her trust, and plus there would be more than enough time in the future for such things.

He transported himself into her bedroom with ease. Noting the lack of people and closed door, he let his invisibility fall and slowly came into view once more as he walked over to a desk in the corner.  
His dark form leaned over slightly to open a draw, where he found a thick book. Its pages bound in black leather.

He lifted it up with his long boney fingers and opened it, met with handwritten entries.  
_'A journal?' _He thought with a grin. _'Time to learn a little more about my new... friend.'_

**A/N: and there's the first chapter, I hope it's an okay beginning, but it will get better!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Wow, thanks for the reviews everyone! I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**Borderline Darkness  
Chapter II**:

The demon relaxed down into a chair set beside the desk, knowing humans normally took their time in the bath. He flipped open the leather journal, noticing her name printed on the inside.  
'_Carolyn Shore_'  
He made a mental note of her surname as he began reading the entries, which were mostly small paragraphs.

'_Dear journal, This is my first week at my new school. I don't know anyone. Some people have been making fun of my clothes, apparently it's weird for girls to wear dresses now. But I'm sure they will be nice once I get to know them. Mom always says to be kind no matter what.'_

He flipped through entries, his crimson eyes shooting over the pages through the years of Carolyn's life. Noticing a few in particular about the missing mother of the family.

'_Mom has been sick lately. She hasn't been eating much and stays in bed most of the day. Dad won't talk about it much, but says we might have to move houses to be closer to the hospital. He worries she is going to get worse.'_

'_We visited mom at the hospital, she won't tell me what's wrong but she gave me a necklace with a cross. She has never acted like this before. Dad says she's trying to protect herself and us.'_

_'My mother won't be coming home. Not anytime soon at least. I see her as often as possible, but she isn't awake much anymore. We might need to move houses again, as now we need the best medical help.'_

The demons eyes snapped up at the sound of draining water. Carolyn would be back soon.  
He quickly stood up and became invisible. Setting the journal back in its draw and gliding into the corner, he decided he would read more of it later on.

A few minutes passed, then the door opened as Carolyn strolled inside and shut it behind herself with a sigh. The entity in the corner smirked at her appearance. Her long brown hair was dark and wet, her grey-blue eyes stared at the bed sleepily.  
She wore a long sleeved shirt with shorts, and he couldn't help himself as his eyes roamed downwards over the pale flesh of her slender legs.  
She walked right past him, so close he could smell the soft flowery sent of her soap. He had to hold back a pleased groan.

Carolyn slipped into the bed and pulled the blankets over herself, not caring her hair was still wet. And it was only a matter of minutes till she fell into an exhausted sleep.

He observed her silently, noticing the soft dusting of freckles on her cheek bones. He was fascinated as her features slowly relaxed in sleep. By the looks of her and what he had read from her journal, she seemed to be a worrier. Speaking of the journal, he took the opportunity to read it again whilst everyone slept.

...

The demon shut the diary not long before he noticed the dull light of the rising sun pour through the window. He wondered when Carolyn would be waking up, he remembered from her journal that her favourite breakfast was blueberry pancakes. And then he came up with a plan to amuse himself.

...

Carolyn was half asleep, drifting in and out of strange dreams. She knew she had to get up, she could feel the light against her eyelids. With a small moan she rolled over, when a familiar scent caught her attention.

She opened her eyes and was greeted with the sight of a plate sitting atop her bedside table, with a still warm stack of pancakes. Blueberry pancakes?  
Carolyn sat up and stared down at it. Only her mother would make these for her, and even then it was only on special occasions.

She stared down at the pile of pancakes, part of her wanting to rush downstairs in the tiny hope that her mother had made a rapid recovery and came home. But as her stomach growled, she decided not to let the food go to waste.

Carolyn dug into the meal eagerly, not the best made but it satisfied her stomach. As she swallowed, she noticed a not so nice aftertaste. Her chewing slowed as the sweet breakfast turned vile on her tongue.

Looking back down, the pancakes were suddenly discoloured and stale; looking as if they'd been sitting uncovered for weeks. But what sickened her most was the few maggots crawling over the plate.

Carolyn covered her mouth, gagging as she pushed the plate aside and rushed over to a bin next to her desk. She spat out the remaining food and groaned as the vile taste lingered on her tongue.  
She could of sworn she heard someone burst out laughing behind her, assuming it was her brother she turned around to tell him it wasn't funny. But no one was there. She stood straight and stared and the empty room dumbfounded for a moment, then picked up the plate and left the room.

...

After washing her mouth out and dumping the food in the kitchen, she rushed upstairs. And up to her brothers room, knocking quick and hard against the door.

"It's open" was his lazy reply.  
Carolyn opened the door and glared at her brother, Henry Shore. The walls of his room were covered with posters and there were already cords everywhere for his various video game consoles. He was three years younger than her, and had grown out of pranks after their mother fell ill. But who else could of done it?

"Henry, how...why did you do that to me!?"

He was half sitting up in his bed, his brown hair ruffled from sleep and his blue eyes glued to the screen of his laptop. He frowned at the accusation, but didn't look up.

"Why did I do what?"

"Don't act innocent, you left those disgusting pancakes in my room. It's not funny" she said, her voice shaking.

Henry rolled his eyes at her "You know as well as I do that I can't cook, Carol."

She frowned. "Please just don't do it again." She backed away, and closed the door behind herself with a sigh. Things were already becoming weird around here.

Frustrated that he didn't admit to the prank, Carolyn went back to her room and sat down onto the bed. Who would do such an awful thing? She wondered if someone could of broken into the house, but then why not take anything? All this was making her head throb.

She sat silently, alone in her thoughts when she felt a sudden cold feeling on her back. It was an eerie feeling, and it made a shiver run down her spine. She stood and looked around, the room looked darker. The sun must of just gone behind a cloud, surely.

Hopefully.

Carolyn didn't like this house. It was old, and too big for a family of three. But despite all the empty space and broken family, she didn't feel alone. Not when everyone stayed in their rooms, not when she was in her bed at night. And not now.

The frown that was setting in her features deepened. _'I need to get out of here.'_ She decided as she got ready to head out for the day.

* * *

**A/N: Kind of short and boring, but its just development and such. The chapters will be better and longer, promise!  
Also, the demon's appearance and such will be revealed when Carolyn actually meets him, kind of makes him more mysterious for now, eh? And of course other characters details will emerge aswell.**

**And to the reviewer 'APasserby'; I appreciate the help. I did notice I was being weird with paragraphs and such. I am a beginner writer and actually wrote the first chapter on my ipad. But if you go back now, I did edit chapter I a little. Is it any better?**

**Thanks for reading and please review! -S**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thankyou so much for the feedback, keep reviewing! And please read the note at the end of this chap.**

**Borderline Darkness**

**Chapter III:**

He watched as Carolyn stepped outside, wearing a purple dress and white cardigan. Her brown hair fell past her shoulders freely. She sighed, in what looked to be relief as she walked across the front yard and down the street.

Wondering why and where she was going, the demon thought back on his little trick. His face broke into a grin, but he refrained from laughing. He was almost caught last time. He wouldn't usually follow victims outside the house, but found himself curious as he composed himself and followed the girl.

...

Carolyn stepped onto a bus, knowing her father probably wouldn't want her driving his car. She handed the driver some money. The old man looked up at her, his eyes framed with large glasses, and handed her a ticket. She kept her eyes low as she walked to the end of the bus, avoiding the gazes of several strangers.

She sat in the back corner, pulling out a copy of 'The Phantom of the Opera' and began to read for the trip.

Seeing the hospital come into view, Carolyn sat up and out the book into her bag. She quickly stepped out and towards the entrance. The doors slid open and she walked inside, looking around the bright white walls and tiled floor. She nonchalantly went up to the reception desk where a bored looking young woman sat.

"Good morning, I...I'm looking for Natalie Shore?" She asked as the woman turned to look at her.

The woman nodded, turned to a computer and typed something. "Mrs Shore...ah, yes. She is up at ICU. Who are you might I ask?"

"Carolyn Shore, I'm her daughter.." She replied, holding up her drivers license just incase. The woman nodded again, looking back at the computer.

"She'll be expecting you. Second floor, room 206."

Carolyn left without another word, and walked into one of the three elevators. She pressed the button labeled '2' when she noticed a middle aged lady walk towards her, looking like she was about to join her in the elevator. The woman paused just outside it, the soft smile that she had was wiped away as she stared in shock.

Carolyn was confused as the lady looked horrified at the corner of the elevator. She backed away slowly and before Carolyn could ask what was wrong, the doors shut, sealing her in the metal box as it began to move upwards.

She turned to look at the corner, but saw nothing.

After the rather eerie elevator ride, Carolyn stepped out onto the second floor and walked down the hall. The occasional nurse walked past as she looked at each of the numbers written on the doors. 203...204...205...

206. Carolyn stared at the sterile white door, and the somewhat faded painted numbers. There was a clipboard attached to it, and as she looked at it, she confirmed this was her mothers room. She rested her hand over the door knob, and opened the door.

A woman lay, half asleep in a bed surrounded by various complicated equipment Carolyn couldn't name. She sat in a chair seated beside it and the woman turned her gaze towards her.

"C..Carolyn?..." She whispered.

Carolyn made a small smile and reached out to hold her hand. "Hi mom...how's the new hospital?"

Her mother turned her gaze up to the ceiling with a small sigh. "A lot bigger...strange medicines...more doctors...nicer sheets..it's..okay." She tried to gently squeeze her daughters hand reassuringly. "How's the...house?"

"It's big, old and empty. I'm not sure I like it there...I miss you."

"...I'm sure...it'll grow on you..." The woman replied softly. Then both of them turned their gazes toward the door as a nurse walked inside. She looked at the pair with a kind smile as she walked over to them with a small tray.

"You must be Carolyn, I'm afraid it's time for your mother to rest now" she set the tray down on a table and picked up a needle. "Just something to help her get to sleep" the nurse assured her.

Carolyn nodded "Can I just stay until she falls asleep?"

"Of course."

After the injection, the nurse bid the two farewell and left the room. Carolyn held her mothers hand until she eventually fell into a deep sleep.

...

The demon watched over Carolyn from the dark corner, crimson eyes glaring at the back of her skull as she knelt over the bedside. She gazed softly at the sleeping woman, clutching the thin material of the bright white bed sheets only a hospital would have.

She folded her arms and pressed her head down onto the edge of the mattress. Her lips moved silently as she prayed. Wishing for the woman to regain health and leave the confinement of the hospital.

He stared agitated at the cross hanging around her neck, just the sight of it made him nauseous. How would he lure the doe from the safety of the herd? How far dare he go?

The demon grinned at the sick woman laying asleep in the bed, this would be the way.

After a few more minutes, Carolyn decided it was time to leave the hospital for the day. She placed kiss against her mothers forehead and left the room silently.

Whilst walking back down the halls, she walked by the woman she saw earlier. The old lady that had stared into the elevator in a rather...horrified manor. She was sitting in a chair outside one of the rooms, her head bowed. Carolyn couldn't help it as she walked over to her.

"Uhm, excuse me?..ma'am?..." Carolyn asked politely.

The woman lifted her head, grey hair falling away from her face as she looked up at Carolyn expectantly. Her eyes seemed to shift to the sides, looking around the room as if something was there.

"I...I was wondering what frightened you earlier, in the elevator...are you alright?"

She shook her head, and stood from the chair. The old lady began to walk away, whispering to herself. Carolyn stepped in front of her.

"Please miss, what did you see!" She demanded, feeling the fear building within herself. The woman continued to shake her head, and looked around the room with wide eyes.

Then, she suddenly lept forward. Grabbing onto Carolyn's forearm as she pulled her close and whispered one word.

_"Mortem."_

...

Carolyn practically jumped into the bus when it arrived. She was still a bit shaken from what had happened with that woman. She had said that one word, then ran off.

She didn't recognise the word. Mortem. Was it from another language? She made a mental note to search the word later on, although something about it made her uneasy. Especially the way the woman had said it.

Walking up the front yard once more, Carolyn stared up at her new home. It's exterior built of wood, painted white with a black roof. The sight of it instantly made her tense, but she continued inside nonetheless.

She walked around the house, wondering what everyone was up to. Carolyn passed by the doorway to the living room nonchalantly, then stopped when she heard the sound of static. She walked backwards and looked into the room.

The tv was turned on, although no one was there to watch it. The screen was flashing, images blurred with interference.

Her eyebrows knit together as warped music she didn't recognise began to pour from the speakers. The voices grew higher and lower randomly and she could only just make out the lyrics.

_"Little girl, little girl, don't you lie to me_

_Tell me where you sleep tonight _

_In the pines, in the pines_

_Where the sun doesn't shine_

_That's where you sleep tonight..."_

_"I waited long, for your song_

_To the place, to the place you belong_

_Tonight you'll love someone new_

_Maybe when you are through _

_You will see, you are meant for me..."_

The music grew louder and more disturbing, the sound of laughter and what she assumed to be some sort of organ piano echoed off the walls. Carolyn clutched her ears, trying to block out the awful sound. She wanted to run over and unplug the tv but she felt like she couldn't move. The room was getting darker, and with a cry of pain she squeezed her eyes shut and crumpled to the floor behind the couch.

"...Carolyn?" Dull voices sounded so far away.

"Carol what's wrong?" She couldn't hear, couldn't see, couldn't feel. It was so dark and so cold-

"CAROLYN!"

Her eyes flew open to see her father standing over her curled up body. His aged face was contorted in worry. Carolyn sat up and looked around nervously, the awful music had stopped but she could still feel a ringing in her ears.

"Dad..?"

"You gonna tell me what happened?" He asked her.

"...I...you know you left the tv on and it was messing up, it was so loud wasn't it?" She slowly began to stand up.

Her father seemed confused. "The tv? No one turned it on, and I didn't hear anything. Are you alright?"

"What do you mean? It-it was on when I got home and there was static and this music and it was so loud I-I..." Carolyn turned to the tv. The screen was black, no evidence of it being turned on.

She shook her head, and walked upstairs. She avoided her fathers bemused face as she headed for her brothers room.

"Henry, I need to borrow your laptop!"

* * *

**A/N: random drop of...what do you think she'll use the laptop for? Haha. I hope you enjoyed that chapter. **

**And the song that was playing was Tiny Tim's version of 'Little Girl' which can be found on YouTube if you'd like to hear it, just imagine it playing all warped and messed up on a tv ahaha. **

**I'm glad most of you seem to be with me on how the demon should be. Demons aren't teenagers with black hair and red eyes I'm afraid, and they aren't nice princes that fall in love like us. They are cruel and selfish, and this is what I am striving to make my demon like. **

**ALSO! I've got a couple ideas for the demons name, but I'm still thinking. I would love it if any of you gave some suggestions? **

**Thanks for reading -S**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I wasn't going to update for awhile, but I got many persistent reviews! Keep it up, it motivates me to write- enjoy!**

**Borderline Darkness**

**Chapter IV:**

This was all a game to him. A sick, twisted game that amused him to no end. This girl was too fun to mess with. She was so paranoid, and was unable to shrug off strange things as easily as other people.

He didn't expect much from the TV illusion, but it obviously frightened her. He watched, a smirk playing on his lips as Carolyn raced up the stairs and was soon trying to take her brothers laptop.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because its my laptop, get your own."

Carolyn sighed exasperated at her brothers immaturity and rolled her eyes as he clutched his laptop protectively.

"I only need it for a little while, please Henry?" She asked politely again.

His eyes narrowed, but nonetheless he pushed the laptop towards her in defeat. Carolyn nodded gratefully to him and went to her own room where she sat the computer down on her desk.

She opened the Internet browser and stared at the search bar, she then finally typed the word she had been curious to know the meaning of. She thought, she had a _feeling_ that it was related to what was happening.

It took a couple minutes, but she soon found what she was looking for. Carolyn typed the word into a translator.

'_Translate'_

_'Detect language-English'_

_'Mortem'_

_'Translation: Latin word for 'Death'_

Death? death.

Well, that was just perfect. Carolyn sighed and dropped her head in her hands as she stared wide eyed at the text. Why did the woman say that? Why did she even speak Latin? It scared her, and made a sick feeling come to her stomach.

She found her fingers drifting back to the keyboard, and out of curiosity typed her address into the search bar. What she didn't expect was the several news websites to pop up.

This day is just full of surprises. She scrolled down and read over some of the titles.

_'Family dies after house fire', 'Missing children', 'family disappearance' 'house abandoned only a month after purchase' 'police discover gruesome murder scene' 'family home vandalised, no suspects'_

Did she want to read these news posts? Carolyn wasn't sure. But surely all of these weren't about her house. We're they?

Either way, she decided against reading them, she already knew there was something off about the home. She didn't need these stories to scare her anymore.

...

Things weren't normal after that day. Carolyn found herself having trouble sleeping. She found under the blankets was like a sauna, but when she pushed them off she felt as though she had just stepped outside in the winter cold.

She stared at corners, behind the door and into her wardrobe. The shadows frightening her.

'This is ridiculous' she'd think to herself 'there is nothing to worry about' then she would roll over and close her eyes, falling asleep shortly afterwards. Sometimes.

Other times she would often be awake most of the night, jumping at each creak or unexplainable sound.

One night she had woken up suddenly, not because of a dream or an alarm, but as if someone had purposely waken her. Half asleep, she moaned and rolled over onto her side. Carolyn squeezed her eyes shut and tried to rest once more.

But something wished to disturb her slumber. Ever so slowly, the blankets that were draped over Carolyn's half sleeping form began to pull back. The invisible force kept pulling at it until the blanket eventually crumpled to the floor.

Carolyn shivered at the sudden exposure and curled into a fetal position to preserve warmth. Then, she felt a cool hand rest on her ankle and pull her leg back.

Her eyes shot open and her breath hitched in her throat. Carolyn slowly turned her head to look down at her bare leg stretched out on the bed. She could still feel the cool grip on her ankle, but she couldn't see anyone. The door was closed and no one could be seen.

Her eyes darted about the room as she shook in fear. She couldn't feel her leg, it was cold and numb. The room was pitch black except for the dull light across her body from the moonlight streaming through the window.

"Hello?..." Carolyn called into the darkness of her room, hoping the lingering silence that followed would calm her somewhat.

Perhaps this was just a dream. Some strange form of sleep paralysis or just hallucinations. She simply must of kicked off the blankets in her sleep, then awoke dazed, surely. Carolyn looked down at her leg again, noticing the firm grip was seemingly gone and sighed in relief.

It was only seconds later when the air beside her became deathly cold. The floorboards creaked under an unseen weight, there was the softest brush of breath against the side of her face and then something happened that she would never forget. An unknown voice.

"...hello."

...

Russell Shore, the father and supporter of the broken family, was awake at his usual time. 7:00am. He left his room, still in his pyjamas and headed to the front door where he went outside to collect the newspaper.

Entering the house again, he decided against probably waking the kids by boiling water for his usual coffee and made his way to the living room. He planned on relaxing on the couch while reading the local newspaper, but something stopped him.

"Carolyn?"

There lying in a fetal position, wrapped in blankets and clutching a flashlight was Carolyn, his only daughter. She seemed half asleep, her eyes were squinted, not quite closed. And she even seemed more pale than usual.

Her eyes snapped open at his voice, and she stiffened. Only when she noticed her father did she relax somewhat.

"You alright there Carol? Why are you on the couch?" He asked her while stroking her forehead, hoping to calm her somewhat.

"I'm fine...just couldn't sleep.." She mumbled in reply.

Her father nodded in response, deciding not to push her. He then offered to make Carolyn some breakfast, even suggesting to make her pancakes. She replied quickly with a loud 'no', and they decided on eggs.

Carolyn sat silently on a stool by the kitchen counter, sipping occasionally on a glass of orange juice whilst her father stood in front of the stove frying a couple eggs. Henry didn't join them, as he wasn't an early riser.

"Anyways, I got your school stuff sorted out. I know it's your last year and you already started, but I'd like you to finish. I was planning it for a couple days but we can postpone it if you'd like"

"...I can go, it would be nice to have something to do." She muttered, staring down into the orange liquid in her cup.

Her father let out a small chuckle "really? You sure you're ready? You haven't seemed very well lately Carol, before you looked as if you'd just seen a ghost."

He set down a plate of eggs on toast in front of Carolyn, as thoughts raced across her mind. She blinked.

"A ghost..." She mumbled.

"What was that?" Carolyn's father asked, not quite hearing her mumbled words.

Carolyn stood from her chair, losing her appetite, and left the kitchen.

* * *

**A/N: Carolyn Carolyn Carolyn, are you sure it's a ghost you've got on your hands?**

**boring short chapter, but I can't throw us right into the plot/conflict yet you know? It needs development and such.**

**As always; suggestions, fair critics, feedback and reviews in general are appreciated.**

**More reviews may mean quicker chapters- I dunno..**

**thanks for reading -S**


	5. Chapter 5

**disappointed by the lack of reviews even though the stats are crazy, i dont want to sound like a douche but many authors agree- whats the point writing without knowing theres readers that enjoy the story? come on guys- nice feedback encourages quicker updates! **  
**Hopefully this extra long chapter will motivate reviews! Enjoy..**

**Borderline Darkness**  
**Chapter V:**

Dark circles underlining her eyes made her look somewhat dead. Her lips red from biting them in her nervousness, and her hair rough and frayed from stress.

Carolyn frowned at the stranger staring back at her in the mirror, but it fell as the girl mimicked the action. How could this be her? How is it that this house could have changed her so suddenly?

'_Who am I?'_ She asked herself.

The bright light illuminating the bathroom stung her eyes, and the sterile white walls didn't help. She sighed and rubbed at her face, as if this would help her paled skin and dark circles. Then she leaned over to turn on the faucet in the bathtub, allowing it to fill with warm water and began pulling off her pyjamas.

Perhaps a bath would make her feel better. She pulled her shirt off, her shorts, then lazily slipped her socks down and off her feet with her heels. Carolyn paused as she looked down at herself, only her undergarments remaining, then looked around the small room cautiously.

She stared down at the tiled floor, her lips quivering. She moved her left arm across her chest and on her right shoulder, in some kind of attempt of covering herself and shifted over to the tub.

She sank herself into the soapy boiling water of the bathtub, sighing as her stressed muscles began to relax. This had become a common routine for Carolyn. It seemed worry, fear and stress caused her whole being to ache.

It was early morning, the sun only just beginning to light the horizon. Carolyn's fear kept her wide awake and alert, meaning another mostly sleepless night. So she decided perhaps a bath would relax her somewhat. Her eyelids drooped, a moment of sleep couldn't hurt; could it?

She allowed herself to rest her eyes for a moment, that is until the once boiling water became deathly cold and she felt a familiar firm grip around her ankle.

Carolyn's gasp was cut short as she was pulled beneath the water. The floor of the bath tub disappeared as the water swallowed her in and she was dragged deeper. The water was so dark, as if she was in the middle of the ocean. Carolyn was never a very skilled swimmer.

She fought against the hold on her leg, kicking and reaching for the surface. After failing to shake the grasp, Carolyn reached down hoping to pull away the invisible hand. Only, the hand wasn't so transparent.

Long boney fingers, sickly grey in colour wrapped around the flesh of her ankle. Her eyes traveled as she could soon make out a muscled arm, a shoulder and neck. She felt her vision blur at the sight of a twisted grin, and her lungs drain of air as she was met with hellish crimson eyes.

The expression on her face was priceless to him. The look of sheer horror. As their eyes met it was like an electric shock, not soon forgotten.

He knew Carolyn wouldn't survive much longer as her eyelids drooped and her movements slowed. She fell unconscious from lack of air and shock, but no doubt she would soon drown. He couldn't have her dead, no, not yet. The demon brought her body to the waters surface, and lifted her out and onto the bathmat on the floor.

Carolyn shivered, water dripping off her body and from her mouth. He rolled her body over with ease and then draped a towel over her. The demon stood to his full height, observing Carolyn for a moment before his form became invisible and he disappeared to nothing.

She awoke to the sound of the doorknob being jiggled, the lock preventing entry.

"Carolyn? Are you in there?" Came her fathers voice from the other side.

Sitting up slowly, Carolyn rubbed her face and looked around the bathroom. She stood up shakily and inspected the bath, which was now empty. Carolyn tapped at the floor of the tub. _Solid_.

"Yeah...I'm in here..." She finally replied.

"Alright, well you're starting school today so get ready soon."

"Okay.."

Russell shook his head to himself, and left his daughter in the bathroom to head downstairs. It seemed every morning he found her in a different place, she was acting very strange lately. But he decided to keep this to himself.

...

"You don't need to go if you don't want to Carol..." Her father assured her while rubbing her shoulder in comfort.

Carolyn stared out of the car window, watching as teenagers made their way inside the school buildings. She sighed and lifted her backpack from the floor, there was no way she was going to spend the whole day at that house.

"I'll be fine, thanks. See you later dad" she replied as she got out of the car.

"Okay, learn something!" He said encouragingly.

She nodded, closed the door and made her way towards the school. As she entered the main building and began walking down the halls, she noticed many students turn their heads to her curiously. Some rolled their eyes at her appearance, others just stared. Carolyn kept her head down and tried to locate the office.

...

"This will be your English classroom, A12 will be your mathematics, F04 History as you requested, and I'm afraid the main art class is full but there are a few variations that may interest you." The middle aged woman spoke rather boringly.

The coordinator had guided Carolyn to her current class as well as giving her a timetable, a code to her locker and a map of the campus. She leaned against the lockers in thought, no art class, this would be awful.

"What are the other options?" She muttered in question.

The woman raised an eyebrow but replied nonetheless. "We have a photography and film class?"

"...Okay"

The coordinator nodded and scribbled something on a notepad. "Media will be in E13, it'll fill these gaps in your timetable." She then nodded towards the English classroom. "Get to class, you're late. And give the teacher this."

She handed Carolyn a folded piece of paper before leaving. Carolyn stared after the woman until she disappeared around a corner. She turned to the door of the classroom, swallowing slowly. She then gave it a soft knock before opening it slightly.

"Come in" the voice of a male teacher called from inside the room.

Carolyn didn't look at the other students as she walked inside and over to the teachers desk. There sat a kind looking man with glasses that framed his brown eyes. He looked at her curiously.

"May I help you?" He asked.

She didn't answer, only nodded and handed him the note. The teacher unfolded it and quickly scanned over the words. He then put it down and and reached into a draw in his desk, pulling out an English textbook.

"Carolyn...nice to meet you. Welcome to my class" he said with a smile as he handed her the book. "Please take a seat wherever you like, we are up to page 285, just do anything you can."

Carolyn nodded with a small smile then found a seat at the back of the room.

...

"We have a new student in our class, everyone please welcome Carolyn." The media teacher spoke to the class.

There weren't many students in this class compared to the others. At the back of the room Carolyn could see several cameras, computers and video recording equipment.

The teacher turned to her, smiling. "You're just in time Carolyn, we were beginning our next big project. Please take a seat."

She nodded and took a seat next to a friendly looking girl with blonde hair cut short just below her chin. She smiled to her before they both turned back to the teacher to hear what he had to say.

"Our next project you will be in teams of two, you will make a short documentary on a subject of your choice." He spoke to the class. Some of the students nudged each other and whispered amongst themselves. "As long as its appropriate, preferably PG-13 guys. Pair up!"

Carolyn watched as he picked up a pile of papers and began handing them out to each student. She was reading over hers, a form explaining the project, when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see the blonde girl staring at her expectantly.

"...yes?" She asked hesitantly.

The girl smiled and gestured to her form. "Well? Do you wanna be partners?" She asked her as if it were obvious.

Carolyn thought for a moment, this was a two person project. But she had always worked better alone. She observed the blonde girl, she wore ripped up jeans with a flannelette shirt and her eyes were an interesting green.

"I...suppose so, yes" she replied, and smiled.

The girls emerald eyes lit up in excitement, and a toothy grin spread across her face. She scooted her chair closer to Carolyn and pulled out a notebook and pen, opening to a fresh page.

"Great! I'm Alexandra, but you can just call me Alex. Got any ideas for the project?" She asked enthusiastically.

Carolyn couldn't help it, '_Alex's_ bright personality rubbed off on her as she let out a short giggle. "No not really, what about you?"

"Nope not really, we have a lot of time to figure it out though so don't worry."

They got along well, Carolyn and Alex. The two girls found themselves in a fit of giggles quite often, and they found out that Alex lived close to Carolyn, within walking distance. They found themselves not doing their work much, but more so getting to know each other.  
By the end of the lesson, they had agreed to meet after school to work on their project.

This however, did _not_ impress Carolyn's demon. A deep scowl set itself across his features as he watched that blonde annoyance follow Carolyn to his house, video recording equipment in hand and smiling as they made their way into the home.

With this blonde bimbo by her side, the demon couldn't spend the quality alone time he so craved with Carolyn. She was going to have to go for sure. He mentally painted a target on the girls forehead, this calmed his anger only somewhat.

...

Alex lifted one of the cameras the school had supplied for them out of its bag, quickly flicked it on and turned it to Carolyn's surprised face with a grin. She imitated a serious news reporters voice.

"So miss Carolyn, do you have anything to say to the camera?" She said with a giggle.

Carolyn laughed but played along. "Prepare to be amazed!"

* * *

**A/N: moving slowly into the plot, but I'm confident it will soon become quite thrilling.  
Did anyone recognise that bathtub trick? I got the idea from a scene in PA 4 8D aaaand of course, what is Paranormal Activity without the addition of cameras?  
Also I wanted to say, this story most likely will not remain rated T. I feel it will be changed to M. Just a warning. But if many of you have issues with this then I am willing to adjust it, please tell me your thoughts?**

**Please review, give feedback and suggestions! Thank-you all.**


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